It's a first! The National Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization bill currently working its way through Congress contains first-ever provisions to support and fund environmental education (EE). The legislation is likely to go the Senate floor in the coming weeks.The EE amendment was offered by Sen. Robert Casey, D-PA., and is called the "Well-Rounded Education Amendment." It encourages and supports arts, foreign language, music, and environmental education in grades 6-12. Sen. Casey said students are “disadvantaged” if they are not exposed to courses like these.

According to Kevin Coyle, Vice President for Education and Training at the National Wildlife Federation, "This is a major, even historic, shift in national education policy. It recognizes that environment-based programs are becoming more central to U.S. education by boosting academic achievement, ramping up student engagement, raising graduation rates, and making priceless contributions to future workforce preparedness." Learn more from NWF.

I am writing to support the inclusion of environmental education provisions in the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). A well-rounded education includes hands-on learning about the natural world. Such learning improves student performance and increases graduation rates. I urge you to vote in favor of environmental literacy for all American students."